Have you ever played piano before? A piano is a popular instrument that is used by tapping your fingers against the keyboard. It has 88 keys that are white and black. It can be used to play different kind of music such as jazz, classical, rock, soul and more! I started playing piano since I was around 8 years old.
I love Piano because it is a unique instrument that is fun and easy to play. It is unique because unlike other instruments like the saxophone and tuba or the flute and recorder, a piano has a different sound and look. I go to private piano lessons at my teacher’s house. I used to have a different teacher, but she was far from us so we switched to a new teacher. There are many good things to like about this particular instrument. I like piano for 5 main reasons. I believe that when you do something you enjoy you can let go all your energy, stress and worries towards the piece you’re playing. That is what happens when I play piano. Also, in the future, my relatives would probably love to hear me play a beautiful instrument, the piano. It may be inspiring for them to take on this challenge. It may be rough to learn, but if you stick through with it, it can be such a beautiful thing. Next, it is actually a good exercise for my fingers because it bends and stretches the fingers. When we think of exercising from head to toe, we don’t really think of our fingers. Besides, I don’t think every extracurricular activity should have to be a sport or exercise. Instruments like piano gives me better focus. I have to give all my dedication, focus and attentiveness to a song or note. Lastly, piano expands my experience of activities. It is nice to experience new things as a young person and the land of instruments is a great way to do so
There are a lot of piano books from pre-school to grade 10. I am in grade 4. There are exams that cover everything you learned in all the grades. Each year it gets harder. Once a week I meet with my piano teacher and she teaches me. There are three main books for me: Technique when I learn scales and notes, Studies were I learn two simple songs, and repertoire were I work my way through three hard songs. But there are many different types of books and sheets imported from countries around the world.
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) is one of the largest music institutions in the world. This is where I get the piano books and do the exam. I have done 2 RCM exams so far. You need to get at least 60% to pass. During the exam, a professional teacher listens to your piano pieces and note reading, and writes their observations down. During my grade 2 exam, I got around 75 % (which means pass with honours) and on my grade 3 exam I got 82 % (which is pass with high honours). Each year the time of the exam increases. My most recent exam was thirty to forty-five minutes. I am always so nervous but calm down once I get into it. Over years I had to practise every day for about an hour when preparing for an exam. I knew it wasn’t easy to practice, but it was worth my happiness. The only flaw to piano (other than practice) is waiting for results of an exam. In my RCM exams, you have to wait for months!
When practicing playing piano I sometimes feel stressed, pressured or not confident. Everyone says practice makes perfect, but it is not always that easy. The piano teachers are just there to teach what they know to you so that you can apply it when playing. They are not there to play the piano for you! My teacher always pushes, teaches and encourages me to try harder. Sometimes I feel like I am too busy or am too tired to practise. But the harsh truth is that there is no such thing as being too busy, it all depends on what you make time for. In my opinion you need two things in order to succeed in piano lessons: determination and dedication. The 2 d’s. They help a lot to build positivity in your practise.
Piano is instrument that can be used to express your feelings. Composers, who make music, can make joyful music when they are happy or sad music when they aren’t happy. Well known composers include Mozart and Beethoven. Did you know that some composers (like Stevie Wonder or Beethoven) are/were blind or deaf, so it is much harder for them to learn piano, yet they have succeeded greatly. Overall, my piano experience has been great! I recommend all kids and maybe even adults to learn how to play piano. I hope you enjoyed my experience of Piano which can one day be yours!
Maxine Mutasingwa